Roses and Ink
by nokhnia
Summary: Modern AU. Belle owns a flower shop and gets her mail mixed up with the gorgeous tattoo artist next door. Red Beauty. Oneshot. Tumblr prompt. Shameless fluff.
1. Chapter 1

The mail came promptly at 1:30, just as it always did.

Belle French put down the book she'd been reading. It'd been a slow day—every day that wasn't Mother's Day or Valentine's Day was slow, if she was being honest—and the mailman was only the third person to come into her floral shop since she'd arrived herself, promptly at 8:00. The door swung open with a little jingle as he let himself in.

"Afternoon," he greeted.

"Afternoon," she replied.

"Working hard?"

"Hardly working."

This was their typical exchange. He slid her mail across the counter and went on his way. She sorted through the pile absentmindedly.

_Bills, bills, spam, bills—_

_Hold on a minute._

Here was a letter for someone named 'Ruby Lucas.' Belle didn't recognize the name, but she knew the address. It belonged to that awful tattoo parlor next door, The Beast. The mail must have gotten mixed up somehow. Belle supposed, being a good neighbor, she would have to go and give Ruby her letter…but that would involve going in_side _a place like that, and she wasn't entirely sure she'd live to tell the tale.

_Oh, please. It can't be that bad._

_Can't it, though?_

Belle put it off a little longer, sweeping the clean floor and misting some flowers that weren't dry, before finally giving in and heading next door.

As soon as she walked inside she was greeted by loud music and the sharp smell of incense. The walls were dark and covered with designs. The Beast was having a slow day, too, only one patron in the waiting area, bent over his phone. _F*** YOU, YOU F****** F***, _his shirt said. Belle heard a buzzy noise in the background that she recognized a moment later as the needle.

"You lost, love?" A male, British voice broke in on her thoughts. Its owner was a scruffy, dark-haired man with full sleeves (they were called sleeves, right?) on both arms—krakens and sharks, ships with tattered sails, an anchor, a jolly roger, snarls of rigging. He lounged, smirking, behind the register, his arms folded—the better to show off the artwork, Belle suspected.

"Um—"

"Or maybe you're a walk-in. But judging from the look on your face, you're having second thoughts about it."

Belle stood up a little straighter, tempted, for an instant of reckless abandon, to say yes, she was a walk-in, and she would like a flaming skull on her throat, just to prove this man wrong about her and wipe the smirk off his face. Fortunately the urge passed. She walked up to the counter.

"I'm here for—" She checked the letter again. "Ruby Lucas."

"She's on her lunch break."

"Is she here?"

He leaned forward. "Here, love, why don't _I _help you out?"

Belle supposed she could just give the letter to him. "Well—"

"What did I tell you about hitting on the clients, Killian?" a second voice interrupted. A tall woman walked in behind him from the back room, licking a smear of mustard off her thumb. "Rule number one."

_Oh, _Belle thought a little resignedly. _Oh dear. She's hot. _

"I'm…um...here for Ruby Lucas."

"You're looking at her."

And she was. She was looking at her hair, which was long and dark and perfectly unruly. She was looking at her grin, with its sharp and crooked canines. She was looking at her too-tight shirt and too-tight jeans. But mostly she was looking at her arms. Like Killian's, they were covered in ink, but the designs were subtle and haunting in a way his weren't. Black forests, a white moon, something that might have been a wolf…

"Sooo, what can I do for you?" Ruby continued.

"I have your mail," Belle blurted.

"What?"

She gave her the letter. "Here. This, um, came to me accidentally. I work at the flower shop next door."

"Ah, what's it called—Beauty?" Killian said, snapping his fingers. "You just moved in a few months ago, didn't you?"

Belle nodded.

Ruby took the letter but didn't look at it. She was watching Belle, so intensely Belle could feel her face starting to warm. God, her _eyes_—

"You work next door?" Ruby asked finally. "How come I've never seen you around before?"

"Oh, I don't know. I, um, open pretty early I guess. But you should come visit sometime. I could, um, show you all my flowers."

Did that sound vaguely sexual? That sounded vaguely sexual. Why couldn't she just have an intelligent conversation? Why couldn't she sound like the valedictorian she was?

Ruby's grin widened. "Yeah, maybe. What's your name?"

"Belle."

"Well, thanks for bringing me my mail, Belle. I'll have to return the favor sometime." She reached up with long fingers and dark nails and hooked Belle's hair behind her ear. "I bet you'd look even cuter with your cartilage done. I'd do it for free."

_Oh God. Oh God. _

"Yeah…maybe. Anyway, um. Bye."

Flustered, Belle turned to leave before she could make a bigger fool of herself. She could feel both their eyes on her as she walked to the door.

"Rule number one my arse," Killian accused under his breath. "Ow! Rule number two, no hitting."

Belle's heart was so loud she couldn't hear the music, or even her own thoughts.

* * *

_Stop._

Another slow day. Belle had spent the last hour on an arrangement that should've taken fifteen minutes. She kept getting distracted, thinking about Ruby Lucas. What did her tattoos mean? How many did she have? Were there any on her—?

_STOP._

Hmm. Ruby Lucas. Belle Lucas. What?

Of course, Belle knew not to kid herself with this. A woman like that would eat her alive. Even her friend's name had 'Kill' in it. But still…the way she'd looked at her…well, there was no harm in dreaming. It's not like Belle had anything _better _to do.

The shop door jingled as it opened. Belle looked up and froze.

_It was her. _

"Wow, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it smells great in here."

"Ruby?" she said in a small voice.

"Yeah," Ruby said, looking around. "Cool, you remember."

Suddenly Belle became acutely aware of the soft classical music in the background, of the pastel rainbow of stuffed animals on the front counter. Balloons everywhere. God, why hadn't she worn her jeans with the rip in them today?

"How can I help you?" Belle asked, struggling for nonchalance.

"Well, you said I should come visit sometime," Ruby said. She was making like she was considering one of the arrangements, but Belle could see her watching her from the corner of her eye. "Or were you just being nice?"

"No! I mean, yes, I was being nice, I'm nice, but that's not why—unless you—um—"

Ruby sidled up to the counter, her lips curving into a smile. "Good. Because I'm on my lunch break again, and something tells me you're better company than any of the cavemen in my shop."

"What…even your boyfriend?" Belle asked warily.

"Who, Killian? God forbid. Maybe if I had to pick a dude. He is a good artist."

Belle's heart fluttered halfway up her throat.

"Anyway, I brought enough to share." Red produced a brown paper bag dripping with grease and the smell of hot steak sandwiches. "I mean, only if you have time, of course. Only if you're hungry."

Belle immediately cleared a space on the counter. She did and she was.

* * *

They started trading. Some days Ruby walked over to Beauty to eat, and some days Belle walked over to the Beast. Belle gradually lost her fear of the place. The 'cavemen' were nicer than she might have expected, and funnier too, and she liked learning about their work. They indulged her like a pet. Belle could feel herself actively getting cooler in their presence.

The time she and Ruby spent at her shop was always quieter by comparison. Belle worked alone, and her infrequent patrons were mostly anxious young men and kindly old women. Ruby would ask her what she was reading, and sometimes Belle would let her help her with an arrangement. Ruby pretended to be hopeless at it, but she obviously had an artist's eye.

"You know, if I ever _were _going to get a tattoo," Belle admitted one day, "And I'm not giving in to your peer pressure yet…I think I'd want a rose." They were trimming roses at the time; that's what'd made her think of it. It was getting close to Valentine's Day, and there were a lot of roses in the shop.

Ruby stopped for a moment to look at her. "Why?"

"I don't know. They're just my favorite flower I guess. The thorns, you know, how something can be beautiful and dangerous at the same time. I like things like that. Thunderstorms and things. Words. I don't know. I know it's cliché—"

"It's not," Ruby insisted, turning towards her. "It suits you."

Belle was blushing; she could feel it.

"What, beautiful and dangerous?" Belle asked, biting her lip. _Too far, French, you're going too far. _

"Dangerously beautiful, more like."

_Oh God!_ She sucked in a short breath and forced herself to focus on her work.

"Where would you get it?" Ruby pressed.

"Um, somewhere easy to hide. On my ribs maybe."

And then, suddenly, Ruby was tracing a long stem up her side with the lightest of touches, then petals, then leaves, then thorns.

"I can see it," she said finally, her voice a little quieter now.

Belle's mind was screaming. Her palms broke out in sweat. She gave up any pretense of work.

"Ruby…" She looked up. Ruby met her gaze and held it. God, her face was so _close._ Her lips were _so close. _Maybe…maybe…

Belle summoned her courage. Leaned in—

The shop door jingled. The mailman walked in. 1:30.

"Afternoon."

Belle just glared.

"Damn, I'm running late," Ruby muttered suddenly. "Hey, I'll see you around, okay?"

And she left before Belle could say goodbye.

* * *

The next day when Belle went The Beast, Killian informed her that Ruby had taken a sick day. Belle immediately began to feel sick herself. She'd obviously crossed a line yesterday. Ruby didn't want to see her.

"You're welcome to hang around anyway," Killian offered.

"No, I should probably get back to work," Belle sighed, and she returned to finish her Valentine's Day arrangements.

The next day, she waited for Ruby to come visit her, but Ruby never showed. Belle didn't have it in her to go next door and ask for her. She could take a hint. It was possible Ruby was sick, but Belle was certain she wasn't.

_I was too clingy. She could probably smell the desperation. _

Or maybe she'd just never been interested in the first place.

The weekend came and went. Valentine's Day was on Tuesday. Belle tried to pour all her energy into preparing for it. On Monday, she had more customers than she could handle. Usually she would have enjoyed the business, would have listened to every single love story, but now, she just felt hollow.

She'd begun to think, maybe, just maybe, she'd have a story of her own this year.

Then—just before close—the last customer of the day—Ruby came in.

"Hey."

_Hey? _"It's not lunchtime," Belle said, feeling stupid. A tendril of hope crept through her. Ruby looked nervous. She never looked nervous.

"No, I'm, uh, here for business today, actually."

"Business?"

"Yeah, I've met someone special. I want to give her a nice bouquet for tomorrow."

"Oh." The hope died, Belle's heart sinking like a stone. So that was it then—someone else. Maybe there'd always been someone else.

"Well, you came to the right place," Belle said finally. She could feel the threat of tears and hated herself for it. This was exactly why a woman like Ruby would never take her seriously. "What kind of arrangement do you want?"

"Two dozen roses."

_Two _dozen_? _That wasn't cheap. God, it _was _someone special. Belle had never felt like such a fool. Her hands started shaking.

"Here, let me help," Ruby said softly. She'd had so much practice she practically arranged the whole thing herself. It was almost cruel, to have her close like this again. But Belle supposed her situation wasn't anyone's fault but her own. She was the one who read too much into things.

"Do you need them delivered?" Belle asked when they were done.

"No, I'll drop them off myself now. Thanks, Belle."

"And Ruby…" Belle hesitated. But what did she have to lose, after all? "Will I be seeing you for lunch tomorrow?"

Ruby smiled. Was it pitying? Was it mocking? She couldn't tell. "No. Not tomorrow."

And she paid and left.

Belle went through the motions of closing shop. It took her longer than usual, as chaotic as the day had been, and the traffic on the way home seemed heavier, too. By the time she turned onto her street, she was more desperate than ever to get into bed and curl up with her cat. Maybe tonight they'd watch _Pride and Prejudice. _That was her go-to for times like these.

Belle pulled into her driveway. Made her way to the front door. Stopped.

There was something on the front porch.

There were flowers on the front porch.

There were two dozen roses on the front porch.

Belle dashed up to the bouquet and snatched the note from the middle of it.

_The mailman gave me your address, _it said in Ruby's elegant script. _Tomorrow, let's do dinner._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So this was just supposed to be a oneshot, but I kind of became obsessed with this version of these guys. There's no overarching plot here, just another bit of fluff. Happy April Fools. :) **

* * *

Belle stood in front of the full-length mirror and considered her yellow sundress, turning first to one side, then the other, then craning her neck over her own shoulder to inspect her backside. It was her fourth outfit change of the evening, but she doubted it would be her last. It was of the utmost importance that she looked _as cute as possible _tonight.

Of course, she thought that every time she went out with Ruby Lucas.

_Ruby Lucas. _Just the thought of those four syllables was enough to make her stomach surge with butterflies.

Belle was just about to go to her closet to try something else—this dress was unquestionably her color, but she wondered if her butt might look better in skinny jeans—when suddenly her phone buzzed with a text message. She dove across her bed to answer it.

_**Hey, my last client cancelled so I'm off early tonight. OK if I come pick you up now? **_

Oh God! Oh God! She'd thought she had another hour at least to get ready. But hmm, did this mean they would get to spend more time together? Maybe now they could go out for ice cream or something after the movie. That would be worth it.

Belle gave it ninety seconds before texting her back.

_**Sounds good! Let me just throw something on real quick.**_

_** You're on like your seventh outfit, aren't you.**_

_**No!**_

_**Princess. **_

_** What time should I buy tickets for?**_

_** Don't worry about it. Already bought them. :)**_

The butterflies swirled even faster, forcing their way out as an involuntary giggle. Belle rolled onto her back, overwhelmed, until they were gone.

Then she went ahead and changed into the skinny jeans.

* * *

Ruby rolled up in her red-on-black Camaro not much later. Belle had been terrified of this beast of a car at first, jumping every time the engine snarled, but she was slowly growing used to it. Ruby slouched next to her in the driver's seat, shower-fresh, leather-jacketed, one hand hooked lazily over the wheel while the other held Belle's knee. Belle tried very hard not to disintegrate from the contact.

Belle was quite excited for this date. Not just because she would be sitting right next to Ruby in the dark for _over two hours, _during which Ruby would probably hold her knee like this _the whole time_, but because she'd been waiting to see this particular movie, the first film adaptation of the classic Broadway musical _Hats_, for years. Belle knew every word to every song and fully expected to cry at least three times. It wouldn't be as good as seeing the real show, she knew, but surely it was the next best thing.

Ruby was probably a little less enthusiastic. Okay—a _lot_. She'd admitted she didn't care for musicals. She'd wanted to see some horrible werewolf movie, _Red Moon Rises _or something like that. But the last horror movie Belle had seen was _Gremlins, _at a sixth grade sleepover, and that had haunted her for months. She'd been immensely relieved when Ruby had come around without much of a fight.

When they reached the theater Belle practically ran through the doors, stopping only when she realized she didn't have the tickets.

"I just want to put it out there that your butt looks especially cute today," Ruby observed from behind her, catching up a moment later.

Belle was almost too worked up to feel properly vindicated.

"We're _late_."

"We're fine," Ruby chuckled.

She was right. By the time they'd turned in their tickets, bought their snacks, and found their seats, the previews hadn't even started. The theater was already jam-packed, though. Mostly with rowdy groups of teenage boys and a couple of their overloud girlfriends. _Hmm. _Not your typical clientele for a movie like this, Belle thought, but then, maybe kids today had more culture than the barbarians she'd grown up with.

They settled in, Belle diving into a bucket of popcorn, Ruby gnawing on a Twizzler like a dog with a bone. And sure enough, as soon as the lights darkened for the previews, Ruby's hand sneaked across to rest on Belle's leg.

"You excited?" she whispered.

Belle nodded vigorously. Ruby grinned, a flash of white in the dark.

"Me too."

Belle jumped at a sharp musical cue as the first preview started. It was for an exorcism movie. Some preteen girl was being contorted into a pretzel. Belle squirmed in her seat at the sight. Ruby just snickered.

The next preview was for a movie about a bunch of twentysomethings trapped at a ski lodge during a blizzard. Someone, or some_thing,_ was picking them off—"ONE. BY. ONE." Belle tensed at a sudden shrill scream. Ruby gave her knee a squeeze.

The last preview promised to be a redband trailer. The group of boys behind them cheered. It was some found footage movie about a group of scientists running tests on aliens in the desert. Scattered gunfire. Desperate cursing. An arcing splash of blood.

God, who on earth had thought it would be a good idea to advertise this stuff to the audiences of _Hats_? These were almost as bad as that movie Ruby had wanted to see—

…

_Wait a minute._

_No._

_She didn't._

_She wouldn't. _

_..._

Belle shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Um. Ruby?" she whispered.

"Yeah?" Ruby's eyes were still trained on the screen.

"Are you, um. Sure we have the right theater?"

Ruby turned and flashed her another grin. "Definitely."

"Okay." Belle chewed her lip. "Good. Because for a second I thought maybe we accidentally walked into a showing of—"

_RED MOON RISES. _The title faded in. A lone wolf howled.

"Well, not accidentally," Ruby amended. "I thought it'd be good for you to give horror movies another chance."

_!_

Belle was tempted to get up and run out right then. She had a book in her purse—she _always _kept a book in her purse—she could just wait for Ruby outside. Where she would then give her a sterntalking-to. This was unconscionable.

But then, of course, if she left…she wouldn't be able to sit next to Ruby anymore…

Here in the dark…

For over two hours…

With her thumb rubbing her thigh just so…

Belle sighed inwardly.

"I just want to put it out there that you're horrible," she hissed.

"You're gonna love it."

_I doubt that. _

Belle slammed her eyes shut within the first ten minutes, when the werewolf emerged from the shadows to heartily devour a sexually adventurous young couple. She still _heard _everything, though, including Ruby's continued snickering. She had a cute snicker. Belle tried to focus on that.

"Come on, Belle, you're missing the best part," she whispered finally.

"Is it safe to look?"

Ruby paused. "Yeah."

Belle cracked one eye open, slowly—

—just in time to see a cheerleader _get her head bitten off, OH MY GOD. _

She buried her face in Ruby's arm, cursing into the soft leather of her jacket.

"I can't believe you!"

"Okay, come on, you have to admit that was pretty funny—"

"_I _wanted to see _Hats_."

Ruby just continued to laugh softly and wrapped her arm around her so Belle burrow herself away more effectively. Even in her state of distress, Belle couldn't help but notice how good she smelled up close. And how nice and warm she was. And how tightly she held her with her long, strong arms.

Belle began to relax. Just a bit.

She even began to enjoy herself.

Not that she'd ever admit it.

"You stopped trembling," Ruby noted.

"That's because I died of a heart attack twenty minutes ago."

But Belle cracked one eye open again.

* * *

_**Am I still in the doghouse?**_

_**Yes.**_

_**How long?**_

_**Forever and ever. **_

_**That's too bad. I have something for you.**_

_**Is it another knife in my back?**_

The next message was a long time coming. Belle huddled around her phone in the dark as she waited for it, staving off her own sleepiness. It'd been half a week since _Red Moon Rises, _and to Belle's great surprise, she hadn't had a single nightmare.

It'd still been the most traumatizing experience of her life, of course.

Then the message finally came, not words, but a picture. Belle squinted, zooming in.

It was a picture of…tickets? Two tickets, held between Ruby's slim fingers. _Oh God. _

But these weren't just any tickets. These were tickets to see _Hats. _

Live.

In person.

This weekend.

_**I thought it'd be good for me to give musicals another chance, **_Ruby explained.

Belle practically dropped her phone.

_**OOOOOHHHH MYYYY GODDDD!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: "Cuter With Your Cartilage Done" ****\- Ruby tries to convince Belle to let her pierce her ears, but Belle isn't the biggest fan of needles.**

* * *

"Ruby? How many piercings do you have?"

Belle, who was spending a Saturday at The Beast, had just noticed a new silver hoop, thin as a spider web, looping through Ruby's left eyebrow. Usually Belle was too distracted by Ruby's tattoos to pay much attention to anything else, but she knew by now that Ruby also had an impressive assortment of earrings, a nose stud, and—not every day, but sometimes, like a pearl tucked in the mouth of an oyster—a tongue piercing. Belle suspected she had even more hidden away, but it didn't do to dwell too long on what Ruby might look like shirtless.

"Ah hell, let's see," Ruby said. She was supposed to be working the front counter this morning, but as there weren't any walk-ins, she was mostly just doodling. "Well, I've got this new one…"

"It looks great," Belle added hastily.

She grinned. "Thanks. It's still kind of sore."

_Ruby Lucas feels pain?_

"Then I've got the three lobe piercings on this ear, and the I-bar, and the tragus. Then on this ear just the lobe ones and the rook…"

Belle nodded like she understood what any of this meant. It did help that Ruby was pointing them out.

"…then the nose stud. I only wear it when it's warm out, since I get kind of sniffly in the winter."

_Ruby Lucas gets sniffles?_

"Used to have snakebites in college, but I let those close up. They got to be a hassle. Kept the tongue piercing I got back then though. For special occasions." Ruby winked.

Oh God, what did _that _mean? Belle struggled to focus. She'd counted twelve piercings so far.

"Then I guess there's this guy…"

And, without warning, Ruby lifted her shirt halfway. Belle's focus scattered completely. Oh no, her abs were _devastating. _They were _even better than Belle had imagined_. A bright red bellybutton ring was nestled right in the middle of them, winking in the low light. Belle's eyes wandered shamelessly—across the elaborate ink on Ruby's ribs, up to the lace fringe of her bra, down to the thick black band of her Hanes peeking out from her jeans…

"Got this one my senior year of high school," Ruby explained, drawing Belle's attention back to the piercing.

_God, I just want to—If only I could—_lick_ it—_

Ooh, but that had been a dirty thought. That might have been the dirtiest thought she'd ever had. Belle felt her face burning and looked down at the counter quickly. This is what happened when she spent all her free time at these sorts of places.

"Anyway," Ruby finished, letting her shirt drop. "Thirteen? Thirteen. _That's _not very lucky, is it? I better get another soon." Then she glanced up from her doodling, her eyebrow raised. "Do you have any piercings?"

"Oh, lots," Belle said casually. "Tons."

Ruby gave her a once-over, lingering long enough to make Belle blush even more furiously. "What, are they all on your body?" A smirk. "When do I get to see them?"

"Um."

"Hey, this reminds me," Ruby said suddenly. "Didn't I offer to do your cartilage for you a while back?"

_The day we met, _thought Belle instantly.

Not that she remembered every detail of that conversation, or anything.

A grin was spreading over Ruby's face. "I still owe you. And it's hella slow today. Why don't we—"

"Oh, no, I think I'm good," Belle interrupted, seeing where this was going. "I really don't need anymore."

"Well, obviously I'm biased, but I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many ear piercings," Ruby objected. "They're too fun to mix and match." Then she narrowed her eyes as she looked a little harder at Belle's face. "And I don't think I've ever even seen you with _one_."

Belle fidgeted in her seat, not quite meeting Ruby's stare. "Oh, you know…my boss is pretty strict about these things…"

"You _are _your boss."

"Oh. Right." Belle laughed nervously.

_Please change the subject. Please change the subject—_

Ruby's stare grew flat. "You don't have any piercings at all, do you?"

"Of course I do! Obviously! I just—well—um. Actually—" Her face fell. "No."

Ruby's lips parted in surprise. "Belle! Why? Don't you have any idea how cute it'd be?"

"Well, I've always wanted them, but I'm too scared," she admitted in a small voice.

Belle could feel her face burning, if possible, even brighter than before. As if she needed any further reminder how out of her depth she was. And _just _when she'd been starting to feel confident about this relationship, too.

Ruby slid her hand across the counter and squeezed Belle's arm. "Would you be scared even if it was me?" she asked in a softer voice.

A shock ran up Belle's skin. She sucked a breath in through her teeth.

"You'd be in good hands. The best hands," Ruby went on, working their fingers together. "You know I'd never hurt you."

"But…it _would _hurt…" Belle was having a hard time thinking straight. She licked her lips. "…wouldn't it?"

"Less than you think. And I can give you a kiss to make you feel better after."

_! ! !_

Belle's heart raced just at the thought. A kiss from Ruby Lucas was like finding a hundred dollar bill on the sidewalk. It was like cresting the big hill on a roller coaster, like watching _Pride and Prejudice _for the first time ever. It was all these things and more.

Much more than a little prick from a needle.

Right?

Belle licked her lips again. "Um…"

Then, without warning, Ruby pulled back, leaving Belle cold.

"Only if you want to, of course," Ruby said. "Only because I offered. No pressure."

Belle nodded vigorously. "Yes."

* * *

Obviously this had been a mistake.

Belle was lying down—as she'd insisted, in case she fainted—watching as Ruby dug out a fresh pair of black gloves and a clean needle. She pulled the gloves on with a crisp _snap. _Usually Belle got a little thrill from watching Ruby work, but knowing she was the one about to be worked on turned that thrill into sharp stomachache.

Since this would be Belle's first piercing, they'd opted for a classic earlobe job, since the pain was minimal (allegedly) and the healing time was faster (or so they said). Belle had picked out a pair of silver studs carved into the shape of roses to start herself off. It seemed fitting.

"What exactly am I doing here again?" Graham Humbert asked from the doorway. He was one of her artists, a specialist in realistic animal tattoos. He had a full menagerie of forest creatures on his arms, and he'd done several for Ruby herself. His hair was always rumpled, his smile crooked, and he had no fewer than seven dogs that he talked about as if they were his grandchildren.

"Just hold her hand in a minute," Ruby said impatiently.

"Isn't that _your _job?"

"No, my job is piercing her ears, which will require all of my hands."

Graham grumbled something unintelligible. He looked quite hungover this morning.

"Thank you, by the way," Belle piped up, noting the quaver in her own voice.

"Please," Ruby scoffed. "He should be thanking you. It's probably the only time he'll hold an actual human girl's hand this year."

Graham ignored her and considered Belle with his bloodshot eyes, the crooked smile slipping over his face. "You nervous, French?"

"Should I be?"

He chuckled. "Nah, everyone says ears are easy. It could be way worse. You should have seen Killian after he pierced his—"

"_And _we're ready," Ruby cut him off. Belle watched her approach as if she were an executioner. She didn't care for the eager look in Ruby's eyes. Ruby settled in by her side.

"So, um, how long is this whole process going to take?"

"It'll be over before you know it."

Graham walked over and took up Belle's hand.

"And if there's blood—"

"—I promise there's not going to be any blood."

She brushed Belle's hair aside, exposing her right ear.

"And just to be clear, on a scale of one to ten, how much pain are we—"

This time Ruby cut her off with the faintest brush of a kiss on her brow, Belle couldn't help but feel a rush so intoxicating she practically forgot her fear. She exhaled and relaxed into her chair.

"Okay, on the count of three," Ruby said, her tongue poking out in concentration. Graham squeezed Belle's hand. "One, two—"

_I'm not ready_

_Oh God _

"AHH!"

Graham practically leaped back in surprise, but Belle's death grip was too strong.

"…Belle…" said Ruby, "…I haven't touched you yet."

"No, I know, I was just, ah, preparing myself."

"—_can't feel my fingers_—" Graham wheezed.

"Okay, well, are you ready now?"

Belle's head was spinning just a bit. "Yes."

"Great. Alright, for real this time. Nut up, Humbert. One, two—"

_! ! !_

The last words Belle heard before the darkness stole over her were Graham's:

"Holy shit, she actually fainted."

* * *

Belle woke up a few moments later to the sight of Ruby leaning over her, her face etched with concern. It melted into a relieved smile when Belle blinked back to awareness.

"You gave us a scare, French," Graham said.

"Yeah," Ruby's voice was tender, and now she was the one holding her hand. "You okay?"

"Aside from being utterly mortified…I think so." Belle accepted a glass of water from Graham gratefully. She couldn't _believe _herself. She'd just wanted to do this _one _thing to prove to Ruby that she could keep up, this _one _thing to make herself _as cute as possible_ for her, and instead, she ended up looking more childish than ever.

Belle cleared her throat, trying to sound dignified. "Can we…can we try again?"

But Ruby just laughed.

"I had a better idea. Tell me what you think."

Ruby gave her a small hand mirror. Belle was startled to see a delicate silver ear cuff in the shape of a dragon wrapped around the shell of her ear. It was beautiful and badass and it didn't hurt a bit.

"It's perfect!" she said with delight. "I wish I'd thought of it myself."

Ruby's face lit up. "You like it?"

"Of course. Do _you _like it?" she asked anxiously.

"If it makes you smile like that? Absolutely."

Graham swore under his breath. "If I have to hear any more of this, _I'm _going to pass out. I'll go cover the front desk for you 'til you're done."

Ruby smirked as she watched him go, and Belle normally would have been blushing uncontrollably, but after the stunt she'd pulled she didn't have any embarrassment left. She set the mirror down and met Ruby's eye.

"Thank you, Ruby," she said sincerely. "I'm sorry if I ruined everything."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're a trooper. _I'm _sorry if I bullied you into it."

"Oh, no! Not at all. I'm glad I can say I tried it."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay." Ruby fidgeted. "Because I just want to make sure you know you don't—ah—you don't have to change for me, or whatever. I'd hate it if you felt like that." The tips of her ears were turning pink. "Never change a thing, Belle, okay?"

_Ruby Lucas gets nervous? _Belle thought.

_Around _me_? _

Belle hid a little smile, squeezing Ruby's hand. "I promise."

Silence fell between them, and they laughed awkwardly.

"Alright," Ruby said. "I'm going to go get you some more water—"

"Wait. Speaking of promises," Belle began. "I know I didn't exactly earn it, but do you think…maybe…" _Say it. Just say it— _

She didn't have to. Ruby's mouth pulled up into a lopsided grin, suddenly all cockiness and crooked canines, and she leaned in and kissed her, slow and sweet, until Belle felt ready to faint all over again.


End file.
